News

Police calls: $10,000 bicycle stolen from locked garage

This information is from San Mateo County Sheriff's Office and the Menlo Park Police Department. Under the law, people charged with offenses are considered innocent unless convicted. The dates shown are the dates on which the agencies received the report of a crime.

PORTOLA VALLEY

Residential burglary report: A gardener returning to a residence on La Sandra Way after running some errands encountered two men in the driveway leaving in a dark green vehicle. Thinking it odd because the owner has a dog and wanted all gates kept closed, the gardener looked and found a shattered sliding glass door in the back. Estimated losses are $26,710, Nov. 20.

WEST MENLO PARK

Residential burglary report: Someone entered a home on Palo Alto Way through an unlocked back door and stole jewelry and two laptop computers for a $10,900 total loss, Nov. 14.

WOODSIDE

Residential burglary reports:

■ "Numerous items" with a value of $6,825 are missing from a residence on Greer Road that had been left with the front door unlocked, Nov. 15.

Theft report: A resident of the 100 block of Woodside Road drove by her home at 9:30 a.m. and saw a package sitting on top of her gate; when she returned at 11 a.m., the package, with an estimated value of $125, was gone, Nov. 14.

Reckless driving report: A deputy cited a motorcyclist on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle after witnessing him riding with his front wheel off the ground (a wheelie) at a speed of 25 to 30 mph for about 75 yards on Skyline Boulevard near the intersection with La Honda Road, Nov. 17 at 1:40 p.m.

MENLO PARK

Residential burglary reports:

■ A thief smashed the window of a garage on North Lemon Avenue, used the lever to manually open the garage door and stole a $10,000 bicycle, Nov. 23.

■ An envelope containing $4,000 in cash is missing from a residential bedroom on Ivy Drive. There are no signs of forced entry, Dec. 1.

■ An unlocked rear door allowed a thief or thieves to enter a house on Terminal Avenue and get away with two laptop computers, two digital cameras, two watches, a camcorder, jewelry and clothing for a total loss of about $2,347, Nov. 22.

■ A leather jacket and a watch, together valued at $2,000, are missing from a residence on Central Avenue that had its front door open, Dec. 1.

■ Police arrested Mark Slack, 23, of San Mateo on burglary charges after finding Mr. Slack at 2 a.m. inside a closed CVS pharmacy on El Camino Real that had had its glass door shattered and the burglar alarm activated, Nov. 24.

■ Police cited and released a Florida man after seeing him littering and finding him in possession of a switchblade knife in the vicinity of Middle Avenue and El Camino Real. The man's wife, who approached police during the questioning of her husband, was arrested on outstanding warrants and found to be in possession of a foil-lined "booster bag" used for shoplifting, Nov. 29.

■ A safe containing documents and $2,000 in cash is missing from a house on Sevier Avenue. There are no signs of forced entry, Nov. 30.

■ Cash and miscellaneous items are missing from a residence in the 1200 block of Willow Road, Dec. 1.

Auto burglary report: Someone smashed a window of a vehicle parked in the 200 block of El Camino Real and stole a backpack that contained a $1,055 laptop computer, Nov. 22.

Strong arm robbery report: A 31-year-old woman and 57-year-old man were sitting in front of Donut Delight on Willow Road when three females and a male, all of Hispanic heritage, approached the couple, robbed the woman of her purse and fled in a white SUV. The purse was empty except for an ID, a $45 loss. The victims were not cooperative in the investigation, Nov. 23.

Assault with deadly weapon report: A customer, angry over a store employee's inability to scan her lottery ticket in the Sharon Heights Shopping Center, seemed to drive her car at the employee after she had followed the customer outside to photograph her, Nov. 22.

Theft reports:

■ Someone stole packages that had been left on the front porch of a home on White Oak Drive, a $432 loss, Nov. 30.

■ A $350 bike is missing after sitting unlocked on a front porch of a Berkeley Avenue residence, Nov. 25.

■ A man in possession of "personal hygiene products" that he had not paid for fled from a Safeway supermarket on Sharon Park Drive. The man, about 35, is white, 5 feet 10 inches tall, and about 150 pounds. He has "dirty brown" hair worn in a pony tail and wore a blue Oakland Warriors t-shirt and dark Adidas pants, Nov. 22.

Posted by resident
a resident of Menlo Park: Downtown
on Dec 3, 2013 at 10:36 am

If this $10,000 bicycle theft had been reported here earlier with details, we could have helped looking for it at the usual stolen bike fencing locations like swap meets and Craigslist. 2 weeks later, it is probably long gone. Bike thieves get away with it because there is so little publicity about their crimes.

Posted by cyclingxchange
a resident of another community
on Dec 3, 2013 at 10:51 am

Hi,
Sorry to hear that the bicycle has been stolen. I invite the owner of the bicycle if it wishes to send us a photo and description of its stolen bicycle in order to post it on our website in the stolen section. We have created a bike lovers community where everybody can post information. I thought it may be a way to increase the potential to find the bicycle. $10K means high end bike and you do not have too much on the road.
Best regards,
Laurent Martinez
info@cyclingxchange.com

Posted by gunste
a resident of Portola Valley: Ladera
on Dec 3, 2013 at 12:50 pm

Police and sheriff take reports of property crime but rarely do something about it.
They spend their time on felonies and giving out traffic tickets that produce revenue. Property loss is very low priority.

Posted by Resident
a resident of Portola Valley: Ladera
on Dec 3, 2013 at 2:49 pm

As a victim of robbery, I know how difficult it is to catch the criminals. I have also seen a lot of dangerous speeding ( especially around schools) , tailgating, and wreckless driving. I have attended to victims of car wrecks-- some have died. A child's life is more valuable than a laptop, so traffic enforcement makes sense too. Report suspicious activities and get to know your neighbors.

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